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Life Expectancy: Cambridgeshire

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what life expectancy for (a) males and (b) females was in each parliamentary constituency in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [126227]

9 Mar 2007 : Column 2254W

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 March 2007:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what life expectancy for (a) males and (b) females was in each parliamentary constituency in Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997. (126227)

Life expectancy figures are published for local authorities rather than parliamentary constituencies, and are calculated as three year rolling averages. The table below provides the period life expectancy at birth for (a) males and (b) females in each local authority district in Cambridgeshire, from 1996-98 to 2003-05 (the latest period available).

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Table 1: Period life expectancy at birth( 1) , local authority districts in Cambridgeshire( 2) , 1996-98 to 2003-05( 3)
Years of life
Year/local authority	Male life expectancy	Female life expectancy
Cambridge
1996-98	76	82
1997-99	76	82
1998-2000	76	82
1999-01	77	82
2000-02	77	82
2001-03	77	82
2002-04	78	82
2003-05	78	82
East Cambridgeshire
1996-98	77	80
1997-99	77	81
1998-2000	77	81
1999-01	77	82
2000-02	77	83
2001-03	77	83
2002-04	78	82
2003-05	78	83
Fenland
1996-98	75	79
1997-99	76	79
1998-2000	75	80
1999-01	75	80
2000-02	75	80
2001-03	75	80
2002-04	76	81
2003-05	76	81
Huntingdonshire
1996-98	76	81
1997-99	77	81
1998-2000	77	81
1999-01	77	81
2000-02	77	82
2001-03	78	82
2002-04	78	82
2003-05	78	82
South Cambridgeshire
1996-98	77	82
1997-99	78	82
1998-2000	78	82
1999-01	79	83
2000-02	79	83
2001-03	79	83
2002-04	79	83
2003-05	79	84
(1 )Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives. (2) Using local authority boundaries as of 2006 for all the years shown. (3) Three year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates. Figures are rounded to whole years.

Members: Correspondence

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the hon. Member for North East Bedfordshire’s letters of 30 October 2006 and 18 December 2006 on biofuels. [126530]

John Healey: I have done so.

National Insurance Contributions

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have paid voluntary national insurance contributions for the 2004-05 tax year. [125482]

Dawn Primarolo: The national insurance contributions and Qualifying Years Tabulation Tool was released in the public domain on the Department for Work and Pensions website at 9.30 on the 28 February 2007.

250 thousand people paid voluntary contributions for the 2003-04 tax year. The numbers paying voluntary contributions for the 2004-05 tax year are still provisional.

Official Visits: USA

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer where he stayed overnight on his official visit to Washington in April 2006. [123002]

John Healey: The IMF pay for travel and accommodation costs associated with the chairman of the IMFC.

Suicide: Children

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many suicides there were among (a) children and (b) children under the age of 13 in each of the last 10 years in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Lancashire. [125744]

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Dawn Primarolo: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 9 March 2007:

As National Statistician. I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many suicides there were among (a) children and (b) children under the age of 13 in each of the last 10 years in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Lancashire. (125730)

The table below provides the number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for children under the age of (a) 16 and (b) 13 years, from 1996 to 2005 (the latest year available), for (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) Lancashire county.

So that comparison over time is for a consistent area, deaths in the current Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen unitary authorities, which were part of the former County of Lancashire, have not been included for any year.

Table 1: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death( 1) , children under the age of (a) 16( 2) and (b) 13 years, UK and Lancashire county( 3) ,1996-2005( 4)
Deaths (persons)
	United Kingdom		Lancashire
	Under 16 years	Under 13 years	Under 16 years	Under 13 years
1996	31	1	0	0
1997	22	0	0	0
1998	23	1	0	0
1999	20	2	2	0
2000	39	1	1	0
2001	18	1	0	0
2002	24	1	0	0
2003	16	2	0	0
2004	16	1	1	0
2005	20	3	0	0
(1) For children aged 10 to 14 years, the cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 for the years 1996 to 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 for the years 2001 to 2005. For children aged 15 years, the definition of suicide also includes deaths caused through undetermined intent, defined using the ICD-9 codes E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for the years 1996 to 2000, and the ICD-10 codes Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 (where the Coroner’s verdict was pending) for the years 2001 to 2005. Verdicts of suicide are not returned for children under the age of 10 years. (2) For the purposes of mortality statistics, children are defined as persons under the age of 16. (3) Based on the boundaries of Lancashire county as of 2007. Deaths in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen unitary authorities are not included for any year. (4) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

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